
The Alchemist
A Fable About Following Your Dream
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · April 15, 2014
The extraordinary international bestseller. “It’s a brilliant, magical, life-changing book that continues to blow my mind with its lessons."—Neil Patrick Harris, actor “Translated into 80 languages, the allegory teaches us about dreams, destiny, and the reason we are all here.”—Oprah Daily Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom, and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, this beloved work of philosophical fiction, The Alchemist, has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations.
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- Who it’s for
- A spare fable that turns personal direction into a quietly devotional reading experience.
- Themes
- dreams, destiny, self-discovery
- Pacing
- Reflective
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Start with this bookAbout this book
The extraordinary international bestseller.
Continue reading
“It’s a brilliant, magical, life-changing book that continues to blow my mind with its lessons."—Neil Patrick Harris, actor “Translated into 80 languages, the allegory teaches us about dreams, destiny, and the reason we are all here.”—Oprah Daily Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom, and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, this beloved work of philosophical fiction, The Alchemist, has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and soul-stirring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried near the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself a king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles in his path. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a profound journey of spiritual self-discovery. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.
Quiet Allegory
A spare fable that turns personal direction into a quietly devotional reading experience.
Come here for
- dream-chasing fable
- faith-forward self-reflection
Expect
- simple, allegorical prose
- themes of purpose, selfhood, and belief
Where it sits
| Visionary Fiction | 45% |
|---|---|
| Magical Realism | 39% |
| The Classics | 32% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Personal Success
- The Classics
- Literary Fiction
- Visionary Fiction
Show all 8 publisher categories
- Holiday Fiction
- Mind & Spirit
- Inspiration & Personal Growth
- Metaphysics
- Authors
- Paulo Coelho
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- April 15, 2014
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- dreams · destiny · self-discovery
- Reading lane
- Personal Success
Around this book
- Paulo CoelhoAn interview from High Profiles. Coelho explains how he drew on his own life to shape The Alchemist and reflects on its creation and meaning.
- Oprah Learns the Secret to Paulo Coelho's Timeless WisdomAn interview from Oprah. Oprah discusses the novel directly with Coelho, including its themes of dreams and destiny and the story behind writing it.
- Paulo Coelho: How to Hear What the Universe Is Telling YouA talk from Oprah Winfrey Network. Coelho connects The Alchemist's signs and omens to how people learn to read the world around them.